WHAT TO DO IN NYC

Lake Bell’s New York

Actress, writer, and director Lake Bell has been keeping herself busy these days, just like a true New Yorker. (She both directed and starred in her last film, In a World.)

Like Bell’s life, New York City is chockfull of things to do, yet there never seems to be enough time—they don’t call it the city that never sleeps for nothing. Bell was born and bred in NYC, so we sat down with our latest cover star to see which spots she recommends.

From her favorite museums to the best vegan restaurants in the city, read on below for Lake Bell’s advice on what to do in NYC.

Lifestyle Mirror:Since you’re a New Yorker, can you tell us some of your favorite spots in the city?Lake Bell: Miss Lily’s has vegan options, but it’s also delicious and it has the best music in town. It’s a good spot for drinks and dinner. I’m always a sucker for The Jane and The Smile for lunch.

Lifestyle Mirror:What about places to shop? Do you have a favorite boutique?Lake Bell: I am unfortunately, not a massive shopper, mainly because I just bought a house. But I’m not like, “Oh, that’s my favorite shop I have to go in it.” But I eat a lot.

Lifestyle Mirror:Are there any other restaurants in New York you love that have great vegan options?Lake Bell: There’s a place called The Organic Grill on First Avenue that’s amazing. Caravan of Dreams is a regular go-to spot for me. I’ve been going there forever. There’s also a place called Foodswings in Brooklyn if you want naughty vegan.

Lifestyle Mirror:What about cultural places—maybe a museum you love or an art gallery that’s your favorite?Lake Bell: We always check out the Neue Galerie. The Neue is really cool because you always forget about it and then you’re like, “oh, yeah!” We’ll rock the MoMA—I’m a member at the MoMA. Any time there’s a new exhibition at The Met we check that out and we’ve been to the Whitney a couple times. In Queens, we went to the Old World’s Fair. That’s an awesome New York site you kind of forget about. And growing up there, you always forget that it’s there, but it’s astonishing. It’s so vast, it’s amazing that it’s there—it’s amazing to look at. To imagine thousands of thousands of people in a world there and now, it’s a battery of picnic and maybe one quinceañera. It’s a really cool experience.